1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to systems and methodologies for accessing media content such as television and radio programming via the Internet and more particularly to a centralized system and methodology for processing such media content in connection with a variety of external devices.
2. Background of the Invention
A digital video recorder (DVR) is a device that records video to a digital storage medium such as a hard disk, DVD, or CD. The term DVR may be used to describe a device such as a Personal Video Recorder (PVR) or a closed circuit television (CCTV) DVR. It may also be used to reference a function in a device such as a digital video camera that has a DVR function built into it.
Television (TV) and video are terms that are sometimes used interchangeably, but in their narrow definitions are different. Video is the visual portion of television where as television is video and audio modulated onto (combined with) a carrier frequency (television channel), so that it may be transported either wirelessly or over cables with many other frequencies (channels).
Consumer DVRs such as those offered by TiVo™ and ReplayTV™ provide a multimedia time warping system that gives users the ability to simultaneously record and play back TV broadcast programs. Such DVRs also allow consumers to pause, rewind, and play live TV in slow motion. DVR functionality is described in, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,233,389 assigned to TiVo, Inc. There are a number of technology trends in force today that are continuing to expand the functionality of DVRs.
For example, one such trend is the ability to record data onto a recordable DVD or CD. A digital video recorder system with an integrated DVD recording device that gives users the ability to record TV broadcast programs to a DVD and playback that content is specified in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/418,646 filed on Apr. 18, 2003.
Another trend is the ability to access media assets stored in a digital video recorder via the Internet. A method and system for accessing stored media assets in a digital recorder via the Internet using E.164 telephone numbers, Uniform Resource Identifiers (URIs), and other address schemes is specified in co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/205,639 filed by the Applicant.
Consumers generally personalize their home television and radio programming to their own preferences. First, consumers generally choose providers that offer programming that matches their interests. In addition, consumers sometimes have the option of choosing specific content packages that meet their needs. For example, cable and satellite TV providers offer consumers a choice of packages, which include different channels and access to premium programming (e.g., sports broadcasts, movies, international content, etc.). However, as a general matter, to applicant's knowledge, there exists no system whereby consumers can easily and remotely access all their personalized, home-based television and radio programming on any Internet-enabled media device.
Two technology trends make the access of live media such as television and radio programming via the Internet feasible. First, the proliferation of broadband network access allows for the streaming of high-quality digital media across the Internet. Second, the proliferation of media devices that are able to connect to the Internet and process a variety of digital content makes this possible. Media devices include for example, cellular phones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), video players, music players, game players, digital video recorders (DVRs), network televisions, personal computers, etc. The miniaturization of such devices along with the ability to connect to wireless and wireline networks gives consumers the ability to access their home-based television and radio programming from virtually anywhere in accordance with the present invention.
As a result of the increasing availability of broadband Internet access, telecommunications providers are offering Internet Protocol (IP)-based voice and video services. Many service provider networks utilize the Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) to enable VOIP and other multimedia services. A SIP-compliant analog telephone adaptor (ATA) is generally deployed on residential and business broadband networks to facilitate the origination and termination of voice over Internet Protocol (VOIP) calls.
It would be advantageous to provide a digital media recorder system that is capable of simultaneously receiving multiple signal inputs, processing these signals, storing digital programming content, and making stored and live programming content available locally through a media device connected to the unit or remotely via the Internet. It would also be desirable for this system to be capable of receiving and processing multiple signal inputs from such sources as satellite television receivers, cable television receivers, CCTV networks, TV antennas (e.g., UHF and VHF), radio receivers (e.g., AM, FM, Shortwave, Longwave, HD, weatherband, and Digital Audio Broadcasting), satellite radio receivers (e.g., Digital Audio Radio Services), video cameras, Internet, etc.
It would be another advantage to provide a digital media recorder that provides multimedia time warping functionality that can be controlled locally while in proximity to the digital recorder or remotely while accessing live media content over a data network such as a local area network (LAN), wide area network (WAN), or the Internet.
It would be a further advantage to provide a digital media recorder device with an integrated ATA that allows for call termination/origination. Having a single set-top box that provides VOIP and DVR functionality would simplify residential networks, as fewer devices would need to be configured and installed. It would be a further advantage to provide a set-top box that allows voice mail and video mail to be accessed via a television or remotely through any Internet-connected media device.
It would be a further advantage to provide remote access to the digital media recorder device via the Internet using a unified address scheme such as the E.164 numbering system or system of URIs that would also be used to terminate and originate VOIP calls to/from the device.
It would be a further advantage to provide a digital media recorder device with an integrated radio frequency identification (RFID) module for facilitating secure electronic payment via the Internet, user authentication, the rapid setup of wireless communication with electronic devices, and other applications.